Principal's Message for Willow Grove...

August, 2009
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Dear Willow Grove Students and Parents,

The staff at Willow Grove welcomes you and your children to the 2009-2010 school year! We have been working very hard to ensure your child will enjoy a successful, exciting experience at our school. Our goal, as always, is to create a positive school climate that maximizes instructional time for student learning, while developing strong physical, social, and emotional characteristics in a safe environment.

Our custodian has been very busy assembling furniture and setting up three new classrooms, while welcoming new staff to our school. Our office staff has been ordering and stocking supplies necessary. Teachers have been in and out all summer, creating a warm learning environment to greet your child on opening day!

To ensure a smooth start to the year, it is important to clarify rules and expectations for student safety and maximized learning. Please review the important information presented in this letter so the school year begins as smoothly as possible. This information has also been posted on our school site web page at www.powayusd.com/pusdwges .

Dates to Remember:
• August 19, 2009 Class Posting 4 PM by front gates
• August 20, 2009 First Day of School, 9:00 AM – 1:40 PM
• August 27, 2009 Back To School Night, 6:00 PM PTA Association, 6:30 Classrooms Open
• September 7, 2009 Labor Day - Holiday, No School
• November 6 – 20 Dismissal 1:40 PM daily for Parent Teacher Conferences – Progress Reports
• April 1, 2010 Open House, time TBD

Summer Office Hours: The office is open August 10- 19 from 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM. Starting August 21, the office hours will be 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On Thursdays, including the first day of school, August 20, office hours will be 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM.

Registration: Please be advised that Willow Grove is enrolling students on a provisional basis at this time, as we are approaching maximum capacity. For information, contact Lori Hath at lhath@powayusd.com .

School Hours: M, T, W, F – 9:00 AM – 3:20 PM, Th 9:00 AM – 1:40 PM for grades K-5. Kindergarten students will dismiss at 1:40 PM through September 10. The first full day of kindergarten will be Friday, September 11, with dismissal at 3:20 PM.

Classroom Assignments: Classroom assignments will be posted on Wednesday, August 19 at 4 PM by the front gates of the school. The PTA will be available for membership and event information. WG staff will not be present at the posting.

Arrival: Students will report to the playground and line up with their teacher by 8:55 at their designated classroom number spot. Parents are invited to join the PTA and Principal at 9:15 AM on the first day of school for refreshments in the Multi-Purpose Room after they have dropped their children off at class. Kindergarten parents are invited to come at 8:45 – 9:15 AM the first day with their students, then join us in the MPR to meet the principal and parent representatives from our WGES PTA and Educational Foundation.

After the first day, playground supervision will begin at 8:40, twenty minutes before school begins. Students in grades 1-5 should walk to the playground through the gates in front of the school. Please do not have your child arrive before 8:40, as there will be no adult supervision until that time. Students will line up in their assigned area on the playground at 8:55. The tardy bell rings and school begins promptly at 9:00. Students are expected to be in their seats ready to learn by that time. After the 9:00 bell, students will need to come to the front office for a late slip before going to class.

Dismissal: At dismissal time, teachers will walk their students to the front of the school, where parents should meet their children. We ask parents to wait by the large cement area away from the gates, as there is greater space and visibility there. Please do not meet your children inside the school or by the classroom, as it is a distraction to the learning environment, and causes great congestion. Our goal is to maximize instructional time for student learning, and decrease congestion in the hallways.

Traffic Flow: Parents driving students to and from school should follow the procedures of state law. Enter the parking lot to drop off your child by making a right hand turn off of Via Azul, and exiting left or right onto Via Inez. Please abide by the directions of our wonderful volunteers and staff. They are working hard to ensure safety of our children. Cars in the traffic circle should never be left unattended at any time. Do not enter the bus drop off circle. Pedestrians should cooperate with the Student Safety Patrol, located by the crosswalk of Via Inez and Via Fiesta, demonstrating good citizenship and safety practices for our students.

Visitors and volunteers: PUSD Board Policy 4.415 prohibits volunteers on campus unless they have completed a background check and had a TB Skin Test. All visitors and cleared volunteers must report to the office, sign-in, and wear a visitor's pass. The PTA keeps track of volunteer hours and reports them to the Palomar Council.

Gates and School Safety: The gates to the school are closed to ensure that visitors and volunteers sign in at the front office and wear an appropriate name tag. We can not take chances with student safety. Please remind your child that NO student may leave the school grounds during the school day without being checked out of the front office.

School Lunch: Hot lunches are available for $2.00 including milk. Children who bring their own lunch may purchase milk ($.50) or juice ($.75) from the cafeteria. You may pay your child's lunch in advance by sending cash or check payable to PUSD Food Services, to the front office. For credit cards payments, go to www.mylunchmoney.com . Please note there is a $1.95 fee for each $100.00 transaction. Lunch envelopes are available there. If your child receives free or reduced lunch, you must submit a 2009-10 application to Food Services. Applications are available on-line at www.powayusd.com/nutrition/  under the Food and Nutrition Department link, or you may request one in the front office of the school. WGES schedules students to play first, then eat. This practice reduces food waste as students do not rush through lunch to eat. It also reduces playground problems entering the classroom, as students relax while enjoying their lunch. Students have twenty minutes to play, and twenty minutes to eat. If your child is a slow eater, you might consider having them bring lunch so that they can take the full twenty minutes to eat.

Willow Grove PTA and Educational Foundation: Our PTA and Educational Foundation are two very important organizations in our school. They support many activities that directly impact student learning and the positive school environment. I urge you to join me in becoming a member, especially those families that are new to our school. Your participation in these two organizations will help families find the most appropriate way to lend their support to our school that fits their lifestyle. Many parents want to help in classrooms. Many want to help with special events. Others want to contribute financially to enhance programs for our children. Look for additional information from PTA and the Foundation on our website or the first day packet of information that your child will bring home. Thank you in advance to those of you who become a part of these organizations.

Extended Student Services (ESS): Willow Grove offers an Extended Student Services Program located on campus. ESS is a before and after school child care program that extends the learning day for students. It is available for all students from 6:30 AM - 6:00 PM. For information, contact Marcy Golden at mgolden@powayusd.com .

Preschool: For preschool information, contact Heather Smith (full day program) at hsmith@powayusd.com, or Amy Pray (part day program) at apray@powayusd.com .

Attendance: It is important you keep us informed about your child when they are not in school. When your child is absent, please call or e-mail the school to inform us of the reason for the absence each day they are not in attendance. If your child will be absent from school due to anything other than illness for 5 days or more, please contact the school for a study contract. Our attendance hotline number is 858-674-6300. Press option #2 to report a student’s absence.

Medication: Students who are required to take medication during school hours may be assisted by school personnel if the school receives a Medication Authorization form from the physician and parent detailing instructions for administration. This form may be picked up from the school office. For safety reasons, only adults may bring medications to school.

We would appreciate your reviewing this important information with your child. Enjoy the rest of summer. Our staff looks forward to working with you and your child this year.

Sincerely,

Cindy De Clercq
Principal